Lyme Bay kayaking tragedy

Lyme Bay kayaking tragedy

On 22 March 1993, a group of eight pupils and their teacher were accompanied by two instructors from an outdoor centre in a canoe (kayak) trip across Lyme Bay, on the south coast of England.

As a result of a series of errors and circumstances, four of the teenagers drowned. The others survived. The party had run into difficulties straight away as one boat became swamped. The group was swept out to sea, where all their canoes were quickly swamped.

The subsequent trial resulted in the prosecution of the parent company and the centre manager. The owner of the activity centre and the centre itself were convicted of corporate manslaughter over the deaths. This was the first conviction for this offence in the UK. The owner was jailed for three years, but his sentence was cut to two years on appeal. [http://www.aala.org/lymebay01.html] This tragedy accelerated governmental discussions until, in January 1995, the Activity Centres (Young Persons’ Safety) Act 1995 was passed through Parliament in January 1995 and an independent licensing authority, the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) was formed.

See also

* Outdoor education


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lyme Bay — is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east. The counties of Devon and Dorset front onto the bay.The area around Lyme Bay is part of a World Heritage Site, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Adventure Activities Licensing Authority — The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) is an independent licensing authority for outdoor activity centers in Great Britain. Under the guidance of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a government body charged with overseeing health …   Wikipedia

  • Corporate manslaughter — is a crime in several jurisdictions, including England and Wales and Hong Kong.[1] It enables a corporation to be punished and censured for culpable conduct that leads to a person s death. This extends beyond any compensation that might be… …   Wikipedia

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